DENTON - Off to the best conference start since 2002, the Mean Green volleyball team has the chance to claim first place in Conference USA with wins in two matches from the North Texas Volleyball Center this weekend.

North Texas (13-8, 5-1 C-USA) will first play host to LA Tech on Friday, a team that it took down in four sets last week on the road, before the #23 WKU Lady Toppers roll into Denton for a midday matchup on Sunday.

Four-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Week Carnae Dillard continues to light up the court with kills at a record-setting pace, finding herself just 136 away from setting the program's all-time record. Meanwhile, junior setter Amy Henard also finds herself on milestone watch, needing only 31 assists until she has 3,000 in her career. Both players will be integral if the Mean Green is to take the league's top spot this weekend.

Noting LA Tech LA Tech (7-12, 1-5 C-USA) is coming off its first conference win of the season after knocking off UAB in a three-set sweep. It hasn't been long at all since North Texas took the court against the Lady Techsters, having picked up a 3-1 win over the team on the road last Friday.

The team from Ruston is led by redshirt sophomore Marta Monne, who has recorded a team-high 164 kills and 3.04 per set this season. Junior libero Alejandra Aviles enters tonight's match as LA Tech's leader in service aces (23) and digs (288), ranking fifth in the conference in both of those categories.

Friday's match will also be the annual Dig Pink match for North Texas. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to raise awareness and support for those that have battled with breast cancer.

A Look at #22 WKU At 19-2, the reigning conference champion is living up to its No. 22 ranking. The Hilltoppers (19-2, 6-0 C-USA), who ride a 13-match win streak into their Friday match against Charlotte, have only picked up one loss against North Texas in the 17-match history between the two sides.

The hitting duo of sophomore Alyssa Cavanaugh and senior Noelle Langenkamp continues to lead the WKU offense as Cavanaugh has put down a team-best 3.52 kills per set while Langenkamp contributes with a .381 attack average. Sophomore Jessica Lucas has been one of the league's top setters as she leads C-USA with an average of 10.88 assists per match and has recorded a team-high 10 double-doubles.

While Sunday's matchup will be a tough test, you can bet that North Texas hasn't forgotten about its early exit from the conference tournament last year, a loss that came at the hands of the Lady Toppers. If the Mean Green plans on finding itself atop the conference - now or in tournament time this November - North Texas will have to find a way to knock off WKU.